Doubles: Japan and America’s Intercultural Children (1995)

Fraternization between United States soldiers and Japanese women during the American occupation of Japan resulted in a number of children being born in and out of wedlock. In the 50 years since then, intermarriage has continued, producing a new generation of intercultural children who are growing up in both America and Japan. This documentary explores the still taboo subject of “Doubles,” children born of American and Japanese parents, living in Japan and in America. Their struggle for acceptance in the rigid, homogeneous society of Japan and in the racially polarized society of the United States, gives a unique perspective to how Japanese and Americans view themselves and their relationship to the outsider or the “other.”